Renee is the daughter of 44-year-old Halle’s late African-American father Jerome and Edwina Taylor – who broke up with him shortly before he started dating the actress’ mother Judith Hawkins.

Although Jerome and Judith split up when Halle was just four years old, Renee remained ‘very close’ to the future Hollywood star while they were growing up – despite cutting herself off from her father after the divorce.

Renee told the Daily Mirror: ‘I’m sad to say it seems like she does not want anything to do with us. I have not spoken to her in about five years.

I tried to contact her through her website, to congratulate her on her Oscar, but no one got back to me.

‘We would love to meet Nahla. We are desperate to understand why Halle is so upset, why she feels she cannot be with us.’

In interviews over the years, Halle has alleged Jerome was a violent alcoholic who beat her mother Judith in front of her and sister Heidi.

In an interview two years ago, Halle said: ‘I saw my mother battered, and could not do anything to stop it.

‘My father was tyrannical, lashing out at her for no reason. I felt the effects that had on our family – I’ve experienced what these women have gone through.’

Renee claims Halle was angry with her when she made a public plea to visit Jerome when he was dying from Parkinson’s Disease.

Despite Halle’s negative memories of her childhood with Jerome, Renee paints a very different picture of their father as a ‘good man’.

She said: ‘My father never beat any of us. He would spank us from time to time, but he never abused us. He liked a drink or two, like anyone else does, but he was not an alcoholic.’